Jake Barnes & Brett Ashley

Summary: In Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises we read about the complicated relationship between Jake Barnes and Brett Ashley, two characters who seem to depend on each other. Through a look at Jake's and Brett's lives from both points of view, one sees Hemingway's genius in showing how these two characters are intertwined with one another.

The Different Lives of Jake Barnes and Brett Ashley

In the novel The Sun Also Rises we read about two characters that seem to depend on each other. Ernest Hemingway writes this story ingeniously to show how these two characters are intertwined with one another. One character can't get away from the other because of their friendship they share. We have to look at the lives of Jake Barnes and Brett Ashley from both points of view to understand how they are complicated.

Brett Ashley was a different type of lady. She drinks all the time and enjoys the company of men. When she feels unhappy she drinks more. Hemingway's character the count said, "Let's enjoy a little more of this," Brett pushed her glass forward. The count poured very carefully. "There, my dear. Now you enjoy that slowly, and then you can get drunk" (Hemingway 66). She does...